Car drivers

Road user behaviour is responsible for, or a major factor in, 95% of collisions. If we are to reduce casualty rates, it is important that car drivers continue to improve their driving skills and road craft, whatever their age or experience, by taking advantage of the many courses now available. See ‘Driver Awareness Courses’ and ‘Advanced Driving’.

Pre-Driver Education

Somerset Road Safety works with colleges to provide a variety of educational programmes designed to equip new drivers for the road. We can arrange for an approved driving instructor to visit your college free of charge. Use of the driver simulator is part of this educational workshop. For more details contact Somerset Road Safety on roadsafety@somerset.gov.uk or 01823 423430.

Arrive Alive

The Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA) Arrive Alive Road Safety Programme is dedicated to influencing young peoples’ attitude towards the responsibility of becoming a safe driver. They visit and deliver presentations to schools, colleges, youth offending teams and other organisations. View the different modules here.

Driving Tuition

If you would like to learn to drive and prepare for the DSA driving test, use an Approved Driving Instruction (ADI). Details can be found on the website.

Driving Test

Visit the Driving Standards Agency website for further information on driving tests www.dsa.gov.uk

Driver Awareness Courses

Somerset Road Safety runs Driver Awareness Courses for groups or organisations throughout the county. These driver education sessions are interactive with an option of an assessment drive if required. A variety of different subjects are discussed which are relevant to the more experienced driver. Any group with a minimum of 10 attendees interested in one of these sessions should contact us at roadsafety@somerset.gov.uk or 01823 423430

Mind Your Business

‘Mind Your Business’ is a new section of Somerset Road Safety, which supports businesses, large or small, that employ drivers or where driving is part of the employees’ role.

Employers have a duty of care and employees have a part to play by knowing what their responsibilities are and ensuring they are met in a professional manner, especially when considering the implications of the Corporate Manslaughter law.  Please click here to view the Corporate Manslaughter Act.

Should one of your drivers be involved in a serious road crash, could your Company demonstrate an audit trail or risk management procedure for the subsequent police investigation?

Our team can visit your premises and deliver a bespoke workshop for your employees’ specific needs to ensure that this meets with your company’s driving at work policy.

Understanding the offence
An organisation will be guilty of an office if the way in which its activities are managed or organised causes a death and amounts to a gross breach of a duty of care to the deceased.

Penalties
An organisation guilty of the offence will be liable to an unlimited fine. The Act also provides for courts to impose a publicity order, requiring the organisation to publicise details of its conviction and fine.

For further information please call Rina Cameron 01823 423430.

Mind Your Business leaflet - please click here.

Advanced Driving

Advanced driving groups have a significant part to play in encouraging drivers to improve their driving standards. Volunteer observers in the groups help encourage other drivers to adopt a systematic approach and defensive driving techniques which will improve their overall driving skills and safety.

There are two national groups that promote advanced driving, both have local groups:

Local contacts for Advanced Driving Groups are:

 


 

Pass Plus

This scheme contains six modules, some of which are not covered in the DSA driving test. Modules include: motorway driving, dual carriageways, town driving, adverse weather conditions, rural roads and night driving.

New Enhanced Pass Plus

From the 1st April 2011, the Pass Plus grant payment of £60 has been increased to £75 and is available to all young drivers who live in Somerset providing you choose one of the driving instructors participating in the scheme. A list of instructors can be found here.

About 50% of the cost will be covered and you will get more experience of driving on a variety of different roads with an expert driving instructor.

It might also greatly reduce your chances of crashing in the first two years of driving and some insurance companies might discount your insurance premiums.

In order to get the application form for the grant, you will have to attend a free workshop on ‘Attitudes and Behaviour’ which are held in Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil. They start at 19.00 and finish at 21.00, see events calendar.

We also encourage parents to come along to the workshop as the subjects discussed are also relevant to the more experienced driver.

If you have used one of the driving instructors participating in the scheme, you will be given an application form at the end of the workshop.

You can find a list of those driving instructors who are participating in the scheme here:

Participating Instructors

You can download a flyer for the scheme here:

Pass Plus Leaflet

 

Attitude & Behaviour Workshop

If you would like to book a place please click here